In His Eyes
by HC247
Summary: In the eyes of most, she was nothing more than a burden. Even in his...at least at first Musicalverse. Hints of Fiyeraba.


In his eyes, she was a failure. As an heir, as a daughter, and as a person. Sometimes she wondered if he even considered her to be human at all. She was not naïve enough to believe that he loved her, even out of parental duty. Any and all affection he might have bestowed upon her was only to appease her mother or Nessarose at the opportune moment. Even his gesture to send her to the school she had always dreamed of attending held ulterior motives. He reminded her, several times and in no uncertain terms, the she was her for the sole reason of caring for her sister in his absence. She supposed the fact that he trusted her with this mission should bring her at least some small morsel of pride, but all she felt instead was indifference. She would care for her sister because she loved her, not because it was what was expected of her. She had tried her entire life to earn his love. What were a few more years?

In his eyes, she was a student. A student with great intelligence and great potential, but a student nonetheless. She could still remember the day that she had walked into his classroom and had been delighted to find that the sole Animal on the Shiz faculty would be one of her professors. Her heart sped up at the possibility of long, intellectual discussions with someone who could present a first-hand account of the recent happenings. He was a bit eccentric, yes, but since when had she been someone to judge? After all, he treated her with a respect that no one ever had before. He was perhaps the first individual to see past the color of her skin and be content to get to know her as person. He understood what it was like to be different and it was perhaps that fact that drew her to him the most. The day he had been taken away was one of the rare times that she cried. Not only was a great mind being lost by this action, but her first true friend.

In his eyes, she was a bother. Who would have the nerve to disturb him, _a Prince!, _of all people while he was trying to rest? At least that was all she could gather of his thoughts that day. He had smiled down at her with a haughty expression painted on his handsome face and spoke to her as if she were one of his servants that has misbehaved while on duty. She had snapped some sort of response before they went their separate ways, but she could not stop thinking about that encounter. Who did this spoiled, rich boy think he was? Simply because half of the female student body fawned over his as if he were a god didn't make him any better than her, right? If was best, she decided, that she put the incident from her mind and concentrate on other things. If Fate was on her side, she would never cross paths with that arrogant cad again.

In his eyes, she was nothing more than a pawn. For so many years, she had dreamed of meeting this man, of working with him to make Oz a better place. When Madame Morrible had placed that emerald-green envelope in her hand, she had dared to think that maybe, just maybe, things were beginning to go her way. Her dreams would be coming true. People would no longer look at her as a freak of nature, but as someone worthy of their admiration and respect. After all, if the Wizard deemed you worthy, how could anyone argue otherwise? But no. She had been too naive and wide-eyed with wonder at first to see through his true facade andby the time she had, it was too late. To have idolized this man only to find out that he was behind the very problem she was trying to solve caused her heart to drop and her faith in everything she had known to falter. She had done what she could at the time, but it was not enough. Before she had even had the chance to escape, she had earned herself a new name at the Wizard's hands, simply not the one she wanted. In a single day, her dreams and ambitions had fallen and she was powerless to stop it.

In his eyes, she was the source of all his mind the fact that she had tried to convince her sister that he was not in love with her or that she had, in fact, been the one to save his life after Nessa's spell had nearly killed him. No matter the deed or whoever else could be responsible, she was to blame. They funny thing was, she had barely known him at school. He had trailed after Glinda like a love-sick puppy as Nessa had fawned over him in his wake. She knew that he had always been a little cautious around her; most people were, but for him to outright accuse and blame her for living a life he never wanted was something altogether new.

It was funny, but the more she thought about it, she began to wonder if there would ever be someone who would look at her without fear, contempt, or irritation. Was that really to much to ask? Yes, she was different, but underneath her skin, she was not so very different from the majority. She held no illusions that she could ever be loved;that was simply too much to ask. But, she was a person who wanted to be accepted for who she was. Even as her heart dreamed, practicality told her it was not to be.

Well, what did practicality know?

In his eyes, she is a woman. He looks at her as if she is the most beautiful creature in the word and she wants to believe that it is true. She think back to their initial meeting and can not help but chuckle at the irony of it all. Time is a funny thing in the way that it can change and mold individuals into completely different people, especially in their cases. At that time, she would have never imagined that he would be with her at this moment. He had given up everything to be with her and although her analytical mind tells her that this cannot be real, for tonight she is content to imagine that he is truly hers. This sweet, charming, foolish and incredible man, that she has loved for so long from afar, is with her tonight, gazing at her with such deep love shining from his blue orbs, that she is powerless to do anything but return his soft smile. Now, he lays with her beside him on the forest floor, breathlessly awaiting her reaction to his declaration of love. She is not able to find the words, so he simply brings one hand to cradle his face and reaches for his free hand with the other, squeezing gently to silently let him know she returns his feelings tenfold.

He leans down to kiss her then and she decides, if just for this one night, to release her inhibitions and lose herself completely in his eyes


End file.
